136 Million Gold Ounces With Copper Optionality Of 30 Billion Pounds
DENVER, CO — Newmont Corporation reported higher gold Mineral Reserves of 135.9 million attributable ounces for 2023 compared to the 96.1 million ounces at the end of 2022. Newmont has significant upside to other metals, including more than 30 billion pounds of copper reserves and nearly 600 million ounces of silver reserves.
"Newmont has strengthened its position as the responsible gold leader with the industry's highest concentration of quality operations, reserves and resources," said Tom Palmer, President and Chief Executive Officer. "In 2023, we added more than 47 million ounces of gold reserves and 14 billion pounds of copper reserves through the acquisition of Newcrest and the continuation of our industry-leading exploration program. With the largest gold and copper reserve base in the industry, Newmont is well-positioned to deliver stable production and meaningful value to stakeholders today and in the future."
Newmont’s reserve base is a key differentiator with an average reserve grade of 0.97 grams per tonne and an operating reserve life of more than ten years at six managed sites and two non-managed joint ventures, with significant upside potential from a robust organic project pipeline. In addition, Newmont has substantial exposure to other metals, with 112 million gold equivalent ounces3 of reserves from copper, silver, lead, zinc, and molybdenum.
The Company reported 135.9 million ounces of gold Mineral Reserves, a 41 percent increase from the prior year total of 96.1 million ounces. The acquisition of Newcrest drove the increase by adding a net 44.3 million ounces after revisions, primarily due to changes in regulatory requirements and technical assumptions. The gold reserve increases were primarily driven by Lihir and Cadia acquired in the Newcrest transaction; notably, Lihir added 17.5 million ounces of reserves, with a projected mine life of 16 years; and Cadia added 14.7 million ounces of reserves, with a projected mine life of 34 years These increases were supported by over 3 million ounces at the Brucejack mine, over 5 million ounces at the Wafi-Golpu project and nearly 4 million ounces the Red Chris project. Newmont’s legacy sites had additions through drilling of 2.2 million ounces, which were offset by net negative revisions of 1.8 million ounces driven by Peñasquito, Tanami, Musselwhite and Ahafo. Peñasquito site had net negative revisions of 0.6 million ounces, before depletion, primarily due to an updated resource model that will further support future production planning. Sites including Éléonore, Porcupine, Cerro Negro and Merian substantially replaced depletion.
Newmont’s 38.5 percent interest in NGM represented 18.3 million attributable ounces of gold reserves at year end, compared to 18.6 million ounces at the end of 2022. Newmont's 40 percent interest in Pueblo Viejo represented 8.0 million attributable ounces of gold reserves at year end, compared to 8.2 million ounces at the end of 2022. Gold reserve grade decreased 10 percent to 0.97 grams per tonne compared to 1.09 grams per tonne in the prior year, primarily due to the lower grade of the acquired Newcrest assets. In 2023, the Measured and Indicated Gold Mineral Resources of 104.8 million ounces, a 39 percent increase from the prior year total of 75.3 million ounces. Inferred Gold Mineral Resources totaled 69.1 million ounces, a 91 percent increase from the prior year total of 36.1 million ounces. The Newcrest acquisition added a total of 66.1 million ounces of resource growth to the Newmont portfolio, with reported Measured and Indicated Gold Mineral Resources of 32.3 million ounces and Inferred Gold Mineral Resources of 33.8 million ounces.
Total Mineral Resources at Newmont's legacy sites were largely unchanged from 2022, with 90.4 million ounces in 2023 compared to 92.3 million ounces in 2022. Significant growth in resources was supported by the acquisition of the Tier 1 assets at Cadia and Lihir, with the addition of 20.6 and 20.2 million ounces, respectively. The newly acquired projects of Wafi-Golpu, Namosi and Red Chris contributed nearly 17 million ounces of total resources.
Total Mineral Resources at Tanami increased by approximately 1.0 million ounces due to the addition of the Oberon Underground project. Total Mineral Resources at Peñasquito decreased by 2.2 million ounces due to the updated resource model and technical assumptions that resulted in the removal of a resource layback at the Peñasco pit. The layback could come back into Mineral Resources pending additional optimization work, including cost reductions, metallurgical recovery enhancements and metal price increases.
Copper reserves and resources increased significantly in 2023, primarily due to the addition of the assets acquired in the Newcrest transaction, particularly Cadia, Wafi-Golpu and Red Chris. Copper reserves increased to 30.1 billion pounds from 15.7 billion pounds in the prior year, with a 20 percent increase in reserve grade from 0.29% in 2022 to 0.35% in 2023. Measured and Indicated copper resources increased to 33.1 billion pounds from 17.9 billion pounds. Inferred copper resources increased to 24.0 billion pounds from 8.6 billion pounds. Silver reserves were largely stable at 596 million ounces compared to 593 million ounces in the prior year, primarily due to the addition of the assets acquired in the Newcrest transaction, specifically Brucejack and Cadia, which offset depletion and negative revisions at Peñasquito as a result of the updated resource model. Silver resources decreased during the year due to the impact of the negative revisions at Peñasquito, which were partially offset by the Newcrest asset additions. Measured and Indicated silver resources decreased to 457 million ounces from 500 million ounces in the prior year. Inferred silver resources decreased to 108 million ounces from 152 million ounces in the prior year.
Lead and zinc reserves and resources were impacted by the updated resource model at Peñasquito. Lead reserves decreased to 2.1 billion pounds from 2.3 billion pounds, Measured and Indicated lead resources decreased to 1.4 billion pounds from 1.6 billion pounds, and Inferred lead resources decreased to 100 million pounds from 440 million pounds in the prior year. Zinc reserves decreased to 4.9 billion pounds from 5.5 billion pounds, Measured and Indicated zinc resources decreased to 3.3 billion pounds from 3.7 billion pounds, and Inferred zinc resources decreased to 0.3 billion pounds from 1.0 billion pounds in the prior year.
Molybdenum reserves of 500 million pounds were declared in the current year due to the addition of the operating site at Cadia. Measured and Indicated molybdenum resources increased to 200 million pounds, with Inferred molybdenum resources of 100 million pounds.
Newmont’s attributable exploration expenditure for managed operations is expected to be approximately $270 million in 2024 with 70 percent of total exploration investment dedicated to near-mine expansion programs and brownfields and the remaining 30 percent allocated to the advancement of greenfield projects. Additionally, Newmont’s share of exploration investment for its non-managed operations is expected to be approximately $30 million, for a total consolidated exploration expense outlook of $300 million for 2024. Geographically, the Company expects to invest approximately 27 percent in North America, 22 percent in Australia, 21 percent in South America and the remainder in Papua New Guinea, Africa and other locations.
Newmont is the world’s leading gold company and a producer of copper, zinc, lead, and silver. The company’s world-class portfolio of assets, prospects and talent is anchored in favorable mining jurisdictions in Africa, Australia, Latin America & Caribbean, North America, and Papua New Guinea. Newmont is the only gold producer listed in the S&P 500 Index and is widely recognized for its principled environmental, social, and governance practices. Newmont is an industry leader in value creation, supported by robust safety standards, superior execution, and technical expertise. Founded in 1921, the company has been publicly traded since 1925.